Bayern Munich travel to Eintracht Frankfurt, while this Sunday’s Bundesliga action sees Bochum entertain RB Leipzig and title-chasing Dortmund travel to Augsburg in search of maximum points. Let’s get stuck into our weekly preview!
Friday 25 February
6/10 Hoffenheim | Draw 32/10 | Stuttgart 38/10 (21:30)
Stuttgart make the trip to the PreZero Arena for a Friday night blockbuster clash with Hoffenheim. The visitors won the previous two matches between these sides, however, Hoffenheim are priced as 6/10 favourites due to Stuttgart’s current form of three draws and five defeats from their last eight Bundesliga matches.
Hoffenheim, on the other hand, are closely on the heels of RB Leipzig for the coveted UEFA Champions League qualification slots, winning back-to-back games against Arminia Bielefeld (2-0) and Wolfsburg (2-1).
Andrej Kramaric scored his second goal in three games for the hosts and boosts my confidence even further – back Hoffenheim at 6/10.
Saturday 26 February
7/20 Bayer Leverkusen | Draw 42/10 | Arminia Bielefeld (16:30)
Last Friday, I personally backed all nine Bundesliga selections and was let down in the first leg of my bet after Bayer Leverkusen were stunned 3-2 away at Mainz, which allowed Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to pull further away at the summit, while RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Freiburg, Cologne and Mainz narrowed the points margin on Die Werkself with respective victories.
Seeing as the hosts won their previous four games convincingly and Arminia Bielefeld are coming into the clash short of goals, scoring just twice in three matches – my money is firmly on Leverkusen to return to winning ways at the Bay Arena.
I’m expecting a similar outcome of the 4-0 thrashing in the reverse tie, take Bayer Leverkusen on the (-1) Handicap at 17/20.
19/20 Borussia Monchengladbach | Draw 26/10 | Wolfsburg 26/10 (16:30)
At the end of last season, it was impossible to imagine that we’d find Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg playing out to a bottom-of-the-table six-pointer to ease the pressure on their respective fights against relegation at this stage of the campaign.
Wolfsburg ended 2020/21 in fourth place but failed to impress in the UEFA Champions League group stages, while Borussia Monchengladbach were only outscored by three teams (Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund & Eintracht Frankfurt), eventually losing their manager Marco Rose to Dortmund which derailed their passage to the Champions League.
Monchengladbach have lost four of their last five games on home soil and Wolfsburg’s two-game winning streak was ended by last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim. My money is on Wolfsburg to return to winning ways – my value bet of the week.
26/10 Greuther Furth | Draw 11/4 | Cologne 19/20 (16:30)
Greuther Furth return home from the Allianz Arena after another fruitless away trip that stretched their winless away record to 12 losses and one draw. On home soil, the Cloverleaves are unbeaten in five matches, including three wins over Union Berlin, Mainz and Hertha Berlin.
Cologne’s last two home games has seen Anthony Modeste score the matchwinner in 1-0 victories for the Billy Goats. The experienced and in-form striker has now netted eight goals in eight matches across all competitions – surely worth a punt in the Anytime Goalscorer market if you’re feeling brave.
Although, Greuther Furth & Draw in the Double Chance market will be added to my weekend multiples at 17/20.
7/10 Freiburg | Draw 29/10 | Hertha Berlin 37/10 (16:30)
Freiburg returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory away at Augsburg thanks to goals by Nils Petersen and Nico Schlotterbeck. The Breisgau Brazilians are at the cusp of achieving UEFA Champions League qualification – currently tied on 37 points with RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim, however, only one team will is likely to claim the prize at the end of the campaign.
Hertha Berlin come into the clash winless in seven games across all competitions with two draws and five defeats, most recently losing 2-1 away at bottom-placed Greuther Furth and last Sunday’s 6-1 drubbing at home to high-flying RB Leipzig.
Freiburg to edge out a win on home soil is my play.
15/10 Union Berlin | Draw 9/4 | Mainz 37/20 (16:30)
Union Berlin will be aiming to snap their poor form which has seen the Iron One’s taste three consecutive defeats to Augsburg (2-0), Borussia Dortmund (3-0) and Arminia Bielefeld (1-0) and fail to score in each encounter.
Mainz are enjoying an upturn in form – their 3-2 win over in-form Bayer Leverkusen ensured the Carnival Club’s fifth straight win on home soil. Meanwhile, their away record reads very differently with seven defeats in nine away matches.
There have been three matches marred by red cards in the last four meetings between these sides, making it difficult to predict which way the match might sway. Select Draw & Mainz in the Double Chance market at 5/10.
58/10 Eintracht Frankfurt | Draw 46/10 | Bayern Munich 7/20 (19:30)
Eintracht Frankfurt prepare to host the defending champions in Saturday night’s evening kick-off at Deutsche Bank Park. The Eagles find themselves on a downward spiral, winning just once from six Bundesliga games and come into the clash after back-to-back defeats to Wolfsburg (2-0) and Cologne (1-0).
This doesn’t bode well for their chances, and with Bayern Munich returning to winning ways in convincing fashion – my money is firmly on the Bavarians.
Sunday 27 January
38/10 Bochum | Draw 31/10 | RB Leipzig 13/20 (16:30)
Bochum play host to RB Leipzig at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, aiming to take the scalp of another top team in the division. The hosts are unbeaten in four league games with three draws against Cologne (2-2), Hertha Berlin (1-1) and Stuttgart (1-1), while claiming a shock victory over Bayern Munich, two weeks ago.
RB Leipzig will return to Germany after Thursday night’s first-leg UEFA Europa League clash away in the Basque Country to lock horns with Real Sociedad. In the league, the Red Bulls are in fine form – winning five of their last six games and lost the other match to Bayern Munich (3-2).
Take RB Leipzig on the (-1) Handicap at 31/20.
42/10 Augsburg | Draw 34/10 | Borussia Dortmund 11/20 (18:30)
Augsburg come into the clash after suffering back-to-back defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach (3-2) and Freiburg (2-1), making this an unfortunate time to play free-scoring Borussia Dortmund.
The Yellow and Blacks put Borussia Monchengladbach to the sword, scoring six times without reply with star striker Erling Haaland out of action for the past three Bundesliga matches due to a knock that’s seen the Norwegian international also miss matches against Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen.
Last Sunday’s double of RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund on the (-1) worked quite well and I’m tempted to repeat the selection. Dortmund to win by two goals or more is available at 9/10 if you’re in search of more value.
MULTIPLE @ 327/1
Hoffenheim Win 6/10
Bayer Leverkusen (-1) Handicap 17/20
Wolfsburg Win 26/10
Greuther Furth Win/Draw 17/20
Freiburg Win 7/10
Mainz Win/Draw 5/10
Bayern Munich Win 7/20
RB Leipzig (-1) Handicap 31/20
Dortmund (-1) Handicap 9/10
